One of the most challenging things about being a trying-to-homeschool stay-at-home mum is managing time effectively. Now that Bear has arrived, I’ve had to stretch myself a little and be a whole lot more creative.

One thing I have learnt to do is to be on the look out for and capitalise on teachable moments. These are often unplanned events that open the door to meaningful discussions. They may reinforce what the child has already learnt or spark off new ideas. The nice thing about these spontaneous learning moments is that they provide a context or real life example for the child so the lesson will leave a lasting impression.

My husband’s varsity mate came to Islamabad for a visit, accompanied by his wife Sameera and 2-year-old daughter Rania. They were such lively folks that we had lot of fun and laughs. A lovely change in our routine! Sameera was a delightful character who regaled us with tales of her escapades in Texas – like a mishap that almost got her hair burnt in a salon. Rania nicknamed my daughter “Aloo” upon hearing that this was the only Urdu word Marz knew and the two shared messy Nutella sandwiches.

They came to see us one last time on the way to the airport before flying home. We shared a few minutes with them mostly talking about how sorry we were that time seemed so short. Just before leaving, Sameera asked for a small favour. She said that her daughter, who was a picky eater, had refused most of her meals that day. She asked if we could make her a Nutella sandwich again.

I rushed to the kitchen and began preparing the sandwich, chuckling as I went about it. ‘Children!’ I thought. ‘The worries they put their mothers through.’ Marz wandered in and asked for a sandwich too. Unfortunately, she was left with the crusty end slices of the loaf, which she disliked – “hard bread” she called them.

I braced myself for a difficult moment… I thought, ‘She is going to insist on the softer slices and I will have a hard time telling her they are for Rania.’ Since I was in a hurry – I didn’t want our guests to be late for their flight – I had to think fast.

Then it hit me… I turned to Mars and told her, “Do you remember what Allah said about how we are to treat our guests?” She nodded and I pressed on, “What are we to do?”

She said, “Honour our guests.”

I then continued, “Do you understand then why we should give Rania the best pieces of bread?”

Alhamdulillah, she understood and a difficult situation was averted. Our guests left happily with their chocolate sandwich and Mars had happy memories of little Rania and how she was able to give her friend a gift.

This is the story that came in so handy during my teachable moment… I hope you enjoy it.

They Honoured Their Guests

Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, “A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! Poverty has stuck me.’ The Prophet sent a messenger to his wives (to bring something for that man to eat) but they said that they had nothing.

“Then Allah’s Messenger said, ‘Who will invite this person or entertain him as a guest tonight; may Allah grant His mercy to him who does so.’ An Ansari man said, ‘I, O Allah’s Messenger!’ So he took him to his wife and said to her, ‘Entertain the guest of Allah’s Messenger generously.’ She said, ‘By Allah ! We have nothing except the meal for my children.’ He said, ‘Let your children sleep if they ask for supper. Then turn off the lamp and we go to bed tonight while hungry.’ She did what he asked her to do.”

“In the morning the Ansari went to Allah’s Messenger who said, ‘Allah wondered (favorably) or laughed at the action of so-and-so and his wife.’ Then Allah revealed, ‘and they give them preference over themselves even though they were in need of that.’ (Surah al-Hashr:9)”

Al-Bukhari recorded this Hadith in another part of his Sahih. Muslim, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i collected this Hadith.

In another narration for this Hadith, the Companion’s name was mentioned, it was Abu Talhah Al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him.

Alhamdulillah, Sister Shamima Rasoolbhoy has allowed me to reproduce some of the stories from her egroup Kids Islamic Stories.

Please note: All stories can be printed and used at home and in classrooms for non-commercial purposes only. This document may be distributed in any form, as long as there is no charge. Please give due credit to the author(s) and Kids Islamic Stories without alteration or omission.

The Mad Fence
a folktale rewritten by Norma Tarazi

Once there was and once there wasn’t, a long time ago, a young boy named Tariq with a VERY bad temper. When his mother called him to get up for school in the morning, he would yell at her, “I’m up! Leave me alone!” even though he had just opened his eyes.

If he wanted spaghetti when his mother made macaroni and cheese, he would get mad at her for not asking him before cooking.

When his little sister accidentally touched his toys he would yell at her. Always. He HATED it when someone touched HIS stuff, especially his sister.

When his friend missed the ball in a soccer game and their team lost, he yelled really bad words and his friend decided not to be friends with him anymore. Well, it WAS all his friend’s fault anyway, and who needs friends!

His father was a sailor and left home often to sail on ships around the world. He wasn’t home a lot. One day, his father came home from a long trip while Tariq was working on a model ship on the table. His father roared out “As salaamu `alaikum, I’m home!” and his mother and little sister came running happily from the back rooms to greet him. A gust of wind from the open door blew down the newly glued mast of Tariq’s model ship. Tariq screamed in rage. “Shut that door! You’ve just ruined my model!”

Tariq’s father, mother, and little sister stared at him in shock. Everyone stayed away from Tariq for a while, while Tariq’s father had coffee and talked with his wife and daughter. There was lots of news of the family to catch up on.

Then, when Tariq’s mother went to start supper, Tariq’s father called him out to the storage shed in the back yard.

“Tariq, see these nails? See this hammer? I want you to take a nail to the back fence and hammer it in, for getting mad about the breeze disturbing your model earlier today. And from now on, I want you to pound in a nail each time you get angry.”

Tariq didn’t understand why he should hammer a nail, but he did as his father ordered. It was hard to hit the nail square on the head, and once he hit his finger instead of the nail. He got mad at the hammer and threw it across the yard. Tariq’s father made him nail in another nail, for throwing the hammer in rage.

The next morning, Tariq was almost late to school because he had to hammer in 5 nails for yelling at his mother, father, and sister for 5 different reasons before breakfast. By the end of the day he had hammered in 37 nails, and he was pretty tired of hammering. He was getting better about not hitting his fingers though.

Day by day, Tariq hammered nails. Why did his father insist on it? Looking at the fence, with its many nails, Tariq was embarrassed by all the proof of his bad deeds.

Some of the kids from school knew about the fence, because he accidentally told them. They called it the “Mad Fence”. They asked many times to come and see it but Tariq wouldn’t show it to them. But little by little, he found that the thought of the fence made it easier to hold his tongue and he gradually began to yell less often, and when he yelled, he was able to stop more quickly.

Then, one evening, he was building a block castle and his sister, who had come over to watch, dropped her stuffed bunny on the blocks, making the whole thing come down. Tariq stood up quickly, took a big breath to yell, and, instead of saying something mad, suddenly burst out, “OK, I’ll get a nail!”

His father came out to the fence as Tariq pounded in the new nail. They talked about how he was pounding in fewer nails now. He had made great progress. He was even starting to have some friends again. Friends were nice to have! That was slow going though, because they remembered how mad he used to get and didn’t trust him yet.

“I’m glad I don’t have to pound so many nails anymore, Dad. Seeing all the nails in the fence is ugly.”

Then his father suggested that Tariq could remove a nail each day that he went all day without losing his temper. Day by day Tariq, looked forward to removing a nail from the fence before Isha prayer. It was often difficult to pull them out and he had to struggle, but it felt good to remove the signs of his bad deeds.

Finally, the day came when he removed the last nail. He called his family to witness the great event. He felt very proud.

His mother was so happy, she kissed him and promised to make his favorite dessert for after supper.

His father, however, said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say, ‘I’m sorry’. The wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.”

The family stared at the fence solemnly. It was a witness of Tariq’s battle with himself. Then his father hugged him and said, “May you grow to be a strong man, Son.”

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “The strong is not the one who overcomes people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.” (Bukhari)

This is a story that Marz enjoyed. We had used Goodword Kidz’s book “The Miracle of the Bowl of Milk” but I think you can tell this story without the aid of a book. Below is the hadeeth in full – you can adapt the language for your little ones. I used a lot of drama when I related how the milk was passed from one person to another and remained full. I remember Marz’s eyes widening when I told her that Abu Hurayrah drank from the bowl till he was full and it was STILL not empty!

This is a nice story with so many learning points:

the importance of obeying Allah and His Messenger unreservedly and the rewards one gets from doing so

the miracles of the Messenger of Allah

the difficulties that the early Muslims endured

charity and brotherhood

Here are a few quick points about Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu `anhu:

His name was `Abdu-Shams (the servant of the sun) so the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam told him to change it to `Abdur-Rahman (the servant of the Beneficient)

He is best known as Abu Hurayrah (father of the kittens) for he loved a cat and fed it so much so it always followed him

His mother resisted Islam at first and this saddened him very much. He asked the Prophet to make du`aa for her and alhamdulillah, she embraced Islam thereafter

He memorised a great many ahadeeth for he used to accompany the Prophet most of the time. He also said this about this ability to relate so many narrations: Abu Hurayrah said, “You people claim that Abu Hurayrah narrates many narrations of Allah’s Apostle. (Anyhow) with Allah will be our appointment. I was a poor man, and used to stick to Allah’s Apostle contented with what will fill my stomach, and the Muhajirin (emigrants) used to be busy trading in the markets, and the Ansar used to be busy looking after their properties. One day I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, ‘Who will spread his Rida’ (a garment covering the upper part of the body) till I finished my speech and then fold it, (i.e. wrap it over your body), in which case he will never forget anything he had heard from me.” So I spread my garment which I was wearing; and by Him Who sent Muhammad with the Truth, ever since, I have never forgotten whatever I heard from him (the Prophet).” (Bukhari)

Abu Hurayrah & The Bowl of Milk

Narrated Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu `anhu:

By Allah, except Whom none has the right to be worshipped, (sometimes) I used to lay (sleep) on the ground on my liver (abdomen) because of hunger, and (sometimes) I used to bind a stone over my belly because of hunger.

One day I sat by the way from where they (the Prophet and his companions) used to come out. When Abu Bakr passed by, I asked him about a Verse from Allah’s Book and I asked him only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by and did not do so.

Then `Umar passed by me and I asked him about a Verse from Allah’s Book, and I asked him only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by without doing so.

Finally Abu-l-Qasim (the Prophet ) passed by me and he smiled when he saw me, for he knew what was in my heart and on my face.

He said, “O Aba Hirr (Abu Hurayrah)!”

I replied, “Labbaik, O Allah’s Apostle!”

He said to me, “Follow me.” He left and I followed him.

Then he entered the house and I asked permission to enter and was admitted. He found milk in a bowl and said, “From where is this milk?”

They said, “It has been presented to you by such-and-such man (or by such and such woman).”

He said, “O Aba Hirr!”

I said, “Labbaik, O Allah’s Apostle!” He said, “Go and call the people of Suffa to me.”

These people of Suffa were the guests of Islam who had no families, nor money, nor anybody to depend upon, and whenever an object of charity was brought to the Prophet , he would send it to them and would not take anything from it, and whenever any present was given to him, he used to send some for them and take some of it for himself.

The order of the Prophet upset me, and I said to myself, “How will this little milk be enough for the people of As-Suffa?” I thought I was more entitled to drink from that milk in order to strengthen myself, but behold! The Prophet came to order me to give that milk to them. I wondered what will remain of that milk for me, but anyway, I could not but obey Allah and His Apostle so I went to the people of As-Suffa and called them, and they came and asked the Prophet’s permission to enter. They were admitted and took their seats in the house.

The Prophet said, “O Aba-Hirr!”

I said, “Labbaik, O Allah’s Apostle!”

He said, “Take it and give it to them.”

So I took the bowl (of Milk) and started giving it to one man who would drink his fill and return it to me, whereupon I would give it to another man who, in his turn, would drink his fill and return it to me, and I would then offer it to another man who would drink his fill and return it to me.

Finally, after the whole group had drunk their fill, I reached the Prophet who took the bowl and put it on his hand, looked at me and smiled and said, “O Aba Hirr!”

I replied, “Labbaik, O Allah’s Apostle!”

He said, “There remain you and I.”

I said, “You have said the truth, O Allah’s Apostle!”

He said, “Sit down and drink.”

I sat down and drank. He said, “Drink!” and I drank. He kept on telling me repeatedly to drink, till I said, “No. by Allah Who sent you with the Truth, I have no space for it (in my stomach).”

He said, “Hand it over to me.” When I gave him the bowl, he praised Allah and pronounced Allah’s Name on it and drank the remaining milk.

I like listening to stories… the longer the better. :) One of the things that I hope to do in shaa Allah is to retell stories from the Qur’an, Hadeeth and other books of Islamic history to Marz. We have to take the cue from Islam’s rich oral history to know that lessons, stories and poetry, however complex can inspire and endure.

I spoke about the cuddle factor earlier. When we take the time to sit with our children and make the effort to make the stories mesmerizing, we are really creating a loving atmosphere… we are bonding with them and telling them that they matter.

Storytelling can be a wonderfully creative experience for both the storyteller and the listener. The narrator does have a challenging task – she would need to find or create stories that BEG to be told and then weave a web of delight through powerful language and colourful expressions.

The listener learns about the joy of making inner journeys – there is no limit as to where her imagination can take her. She learns how words can move. She learns how listening is important. She learns to read into details and to look for subtle cues and nuances. In short, she learns about the art of communication.

I am still new at this, but the little I have done has inspired me. In shaa Allah I’ll try to include some Islamic stories here that you can try with your kids – one I’ve started with is The Leper, the Bald Man & the Blind Man from Sahih al-Bukhari.